Revenge Is Bittersweet
by CharmedOneForever
Summary: Cole decides he wants revenge on the one person he blames for ruining his and Phoebe's relationship... Paige. First ever fanfic so be nice! AN: Check out my sequel 'Payback's A Witch'
1. Taken

Revenge Is Bittersweet.

By CharmedOneForever.

Summary: Cole decides he wants revenge on the one person he blames for ruining hisand Phoebe'srelationship... Paige.

Rating: T

WARNINGS: Mentions of rape and child abuse.

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of the character unfortunatly, however, this story is mine.

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A/N: Hi guys, this is my first ever fanfic so please take that into consideration when leaving reviews. Hope you enjoy the first chapter. I'll be updating every couple of days and it will always be one or two chapters at a time. The story is set during season five. Events play out differently than on the show.

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The weather was unusually hot in San Francisco. The sisters and Leo had just finished eating a picnic at the park. Piper and Leo were clearing away the dishes and packing everything back into the basket, Phoebe was standing a short way away on her cell phone having an argument with her boss and Paige was lying back on the blanket half asleep.

Phoebe's voice got a little louder, "Yeah well you know what Elise? I booked this week off ages ago to spend some time with my family and I…. What? Of course not but… I understand but…. Ok fine, I'll be there in an hour." Sighing she ended the call and flung her phone back into her bag. "So much for vacation time!" She dropped back onto the blanket next to Paige.

"Awww, never mind, honey…." Paige said sleepily. She patted Phoebe's arm sympathetically.

Phoebe smiled down at her sister, "Late night?"

"No, it's just the heat… It makes me tired." Paige yawned as if to prove her point and rolled onto her stomach.

Phoebe glanced over at Leo and Piper who were giggling as they fed each other the last remaining strawberries. "Hey Paige, why don't you and me go and get some ice cream? It'll cool you down and give the lovers some time to themselves…." She grinned at Piper who stuck her tongue out at Phoebe in return.

Paige groaned, "Does that mean I have to move?" Phoebe laughed and pulled Paige to her feet. Paige smoothed out her skirt and stepped into her sandals then arm in arm her and Phoebe walked off in search of an ice cream van.

They headed down a shady path with trees on either side. There was no-one about and they walked in silence just enjoying each others company.

Suddenly Phoebe's cell phone began ringing loudly, shattering the silence and causing a few birds to fly off in alarm. "Dammit, if that's Elise I swear I'll…" Leaving the sentence unfinished she fished her phone out of her bag and answered it.

"Hello? Elise. I said I'd be there in an… I know but I was… Elise, I understand that but… What?

Fine. I'm on my way."

Paige smirked at her, "Wow. You sure told her."

Phoebe was about to say something cutting back at her when she remembered something. "Could you give me a lift? I left my car at home."

"Just take my car; I'll get a lift back with Piper and Leo." She held her keys out to Phoebe.

Phoebe took them from her, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah of course, besides, I want some ice cream." Paige smiled at her.

"Thanks honey." Phoebe gave her a quick hug and then hurried off to where they'd parked the cars.

Paige continued down the path enjoying the cool shade the trees offered. Suddenly Cole appeared in front of her.

"Hello Paige."

Paige backed away from him. "What do you want? Stay away from me!"

"Now is that any way to speak to your brother-in-law?"

"Ex-brother-in-law! And you didn't answer my question! What do you want?"

"You." Before Paige had time to react Cole grabbed her by the arms and shimmered out with her.

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A/N: Well, that's chapter one over with, sorry it's not very long. Please review so I know how I'm doing! Thanks!


	2. Blaming Paige

Cole shimmered to his apartment and tightened his grip on Paige as she struggled with him.

"Get off me you asshole!" Paige wrenched herself out of Cole's grasp and stumbled backwards, "What do you want with me? Why did you bring me here?"

"Well Paige, I've been doing some thinking and I've come to realise something…. It's all your fault that me and Phoebe didn't work out. You see, before you came along we were at our strongest. So I've come to the conclusion that if I kill you then me and Phoebe will at least have a chance."

"What the hell are you talking about? Things didn't work out because you're evil! It had nothing to do with me!"

"Whatever. Words aren't going to save you." Cole backhanded her to the ground before she had chance to orb herself out. Paige felt her lip split open and blood trickle down her chin. She covered her face protectively as Cole rained kicks and punches down on her mercilessly.

Several hours later…..

Piper opened her eyes as a drop of rain hit her arm. The sun had disappeared and large back clouds loomed overhead. She'd been asleep next to Leo and hadn't realised how long she'd been lying there. Reluctantly she pushed herself up into a sitting position and nudged Leo.

"Leo? Wake up, it's starting to rain."

Leo sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily, "What time is it?"

"Nearly six! We've been asleep for hours!" Piper gathered up the remaining picnic items and stood up. Leo rolled up the blanket and started to walk towards the car. He looked back when he realised Piper wasn't following him.

"What's wrong?"

Piper looked confused, "I was just wondering where Phoebe and Paige were. They went off for ice cream ages ago…"

"Well, Phoebe had to go into work didn't she? So Paige probably gave her a lift and then went home."

"You're probably right." Piper held Leo's hand as they walked back to the car. When she saw Paige's car gone she smiled and squeezed Leo's hand. They packed the car up and drove home.

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A/N: I know this is a REALLY short chapter but don't worry they're going to get much longer! Please review!


	3. Discovery

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot to me. I know how frustrating it can be waiting ages for new chapters to be added so I won't make you wait any longer than two days at the most. I'm updating two chapters at a time at the minute but when I start to near the end of the story I'll be updating one at a time.

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As Piper pulled up on the drive Leo glanced upwards, "Piper, one of my charges is calling, I better go. Are you ok to take the stuff in?"

"Yeah sure, go, it might be important." Leo gave her a quick kiss then orbed out.

Piper got out of the car and opened the trunk, gathering up the basket and blanket. She looked down to the road at the bottom of the drive noting that Paige's car wasn't there. She let herself into the house and dumped the stuff in the kitchen. She considered putting everything away but decided against it, opting instead for a rare moment to herself in front of the TV. Just as she switched it on she heard a loud knocking on the front door.

"Typical!" she thought to herself as she went to see who it was.

Opening the door she found a drenched and shivering Phoebe who pushed her way past into the warmth.

"Phoebe?"

"Well, who does it look like?" Phoebe snapped, "I've had the day from hell! First I had to go to work on my day off then Elise was in the worst mood ever and practically doubled my work load! And then as if it couldn't get any worse, the minute I step outside to go home it starts chucking it down and of course I was stuck in my summer clothes! Oh yeah and then you leave the key in the lock so I can't get in!

"Er… Sorry…"

Phoebe's face instantly softened, "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have had a go at you. I was just looking for someone to vent at."

Piper smiled understandingly, "Don't worry about it. Where's Paige?"

Phoebe looked confused, "Paige? How should I know?"

"Well, she gave you a lift didn't she?"

"No, she lent me her car. Last time I saw her she was going in search of ice cream." Phoebe sees that Piper looks worried, "Don't worry she probably just went out."

"Yeah, I guess she could have done. Me and Leo fell asleep so she probably got bored waiting for us to wake up and left…"

"Exactly! Well, I'm going for a soak in the bath before I catch a cold."

As Phoebe turned towards the stairs Paige orbed in. She was covered in bruises, her clothes were torn and bloody, and she was swaying slightly. "Oh my God! Paige! What happened?"

Paige opened her mouth to speak but pain and exhaustion took over and she collapsed. Phoebe darted forward and caught her before she hit her head on the floor. She positioned herself so that Paige's head was cradled in her lap. "Paige? Sweetie, can you hear me?"

Piper immediately called for Leo but he didn't appear. "He must still be busy with his charge… Phoebe help me get her to the car, we need to get her to the hospital."

"Why don't we call an ambulance?" Phoebe was crying, she couldn't believe that anyone could hurt her little sister like this.

Piper shook her head, "It'll be quicker to drive her straight there." Together they lifted Paige and lay her across the back seat of the car. They clipped the seat belt round her and sped off to the hospital.


	4. Hospital

-1**Chapter Four (Hospital)**

Piper paced impatiently up and down the waiting area. It had been an hour ago now that the doctors had whisked Paige away and Piper wanted answers. Phoebe sat silently on one of the plastic seats watching Piper.

"What the hell is taking so long!" Piper snapped suddenly with tears in her eyes. Phoebe got up and wrapped Piper in a warm embrace.

"It's ok, Piper, She's going to be ok…" Phoebe rubbed Piper's back soothingly and kissed her on the cheek. Piper started to cry.

"I knew something was wrong but I let Leo convince me she was fine. Why didn't I insist he sensed for her? Why didn't I do something?" Piper sobbed louder and clung to Phoebe.

Phoebe held Piper at arms length, "Piper look at me, you had no way of knowing what was happening. This isn't your fault. You hear me? You can't blame yourself!"

Piper hung her head, "But I'm the oldest sister. I'm supposed to protect you both."

Before Phoebe could answer a doctor approached them, "Are you Paige Matthew's sisters?" They nod . "My name is Dr. Phillips, I've been working on your sister."

"Is she going to be ok?" Piper asked anxiously.

"She's going to be fine. She was beaten up pretty badly though. Her left wrist and her nose is broken and it also appears that she was stabbed several times in the abdomen which caused some internal damage. We operated and repaired the damage though. I've taken the liberty of calling the police. They'll need to ask her a few questions when she comes round from the anaesthetic."

"Police?" Phoebe looked at Piper worriedly.

"Of course Miss Halliwell, I don't think I need to remind you that your sister was viscously attacked. We need to catch whoever did this in case they attack someone else."

"When can she come home?"

"Well, ideally I'd prefer it if she stayed in for a week so that we can keep an eye on her"

Piper shook her head, "That won't be necessary, we're quite capable of looking after her at home."

"Well, I'm not too happy with the idea but if that's what you'd prefer and if Miss Matthews agrees then that should be ok. You'll need to sign some release papers though."

"That's not a problem"

"Ok then, well you can take her home in a couple of hours, I'd like her to rest a while seeing as she's had surgery. You'll need to bring her back in two weeks to get the stitches removed and then back again in five weeks to get her cast removed."

Piper was silent for a minute then said quietly, "Can we see her?"

Dr. Phillips smiled and nodded "Of course." He led them to a small private room where Paige was lying. Her cuts and bruises stood out boldly against her pale skin and her red hair was messed up with bits of dried blood still in it. Her left wrist was covered in a cast and she had a row of stitches going from above her right eye down to the top of her cheek bone. She was hooked up to a drip and looked so fragile and vulnerable that Piper wanted to cry. Dr. Phillips left them alone and went off to see to his other patients.

Piper sat on a chair on Paige's right side. She held her hand and kissed it, whispering reassuring things to her. Phoebe sat on a chair to Paige's right and stroked her hair gently.

Half an hour later Paige started to stir. Her eyes flickered open and she frowned as she tried to get her vision to focus. She felt pain ripple through her body and she winced.

"Piper…? Phoebe…?"

Phoebe smiled in relief, "We're here honey, you're safe."

Piper squeezed her hand, "How're you feeling?"

"Tired… And thirsty."

Piper got up to pour her a glass of water while Phoebe helped her to sit up a bit. Paige winced again and clutched her stomach where she'd been stabbed.

Phoebe looked concerned, "Does it hurt a lot?" Paige nodded, "Yeah… but not as much as it did." She smiled gratefully at Piper as she approached with the glass of water and helped her drink a few mouthfuls.

Phoebe climbed onto the bed and sat next to Paige with her arm round her shoulder comfortingly. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

Paige closed her eyes and a few tears escaped, trickling over her bruised face. Piper wiped them away gently. "Honey, if you don't tell us then we can't help you. Please, Paige, Who did it?"

Paige sighed. She knew they wouldn't give up until she told them. Taking a deep breath she said the one word that she knew would push Phoebe into guilt and Piper into fury. "Cole."

"WHAT!" Piper yelled furiously, "Cole did this!"

Phoebe covered her face with her hands, "Oh my God, this is all my fault!"

"I'm gonna vanquish that sadistic bastard if it's the last thing I do!"

"He's trying to get back at me by hurting my sisters!" Phoebe got off the bed and started pacing the room.

Paige shook her head, "No, Phoebe. He wasn't trying to get back at you."

Piper looked at her, "Well then why did he do it?" Phoebe sat back in the chair and looked at Paige expectantly.

Paige took a shaky breath, "He said that it's my fault he and Phoebe never worked out and that if I was out of the picture he'd have a better chance at winning her back. So he tried to beat me to death." Paige began to cry.

Piper sat on the bed next to Paige and held her in her arms while she sobbed. Paige lent into her and eventually her crying lessened and she fell asleep. Piper gently lowered her back onto the pillows and then walked round to where Phoebe was sitting.

"Need a hug, sis?" Piper smiled kindly.

Phoebe got up and fell into Piper's arms. "It doesn't matter what she says. This is still my fault. At least it is on some level."

"How'd you figure that?"

"Well, if I'd never left Cole he wouldn't have done it. I should have given him another chance, then none of this would have happened!"

Piper looked at Phoebe in shock, "Phoebe you can't blame yourself for any of this! You didn't go back to Cole because he's evil! You didn't make him attack Paige, he did that all on his own. None of this is your fault!"

They're interrupted by a knock at the door. They open it to find Daryl standing there.

"Hi guys, I came as soon as I heard. How's Paige?"

"Hey Daryl, Paige is ok. Well… She's not ok obviously because she's in here but she's ok considering how bad things could have been…"

Piper looked amused, "You're rambling Pheebs."

Daryl came into the room properly and shut the door behind him. "The doctor called the police station about the attack but I offered to come in, in case it was supernatural or something and you needed me to cover for you."

"Thanks, Daryl. We'll need to take you up on that. It is kind of demonic so we'll need to deal with this on our own."

Daryl nodded, "Ok, Piper, no worries. I'll just say that she didn't see who attacked her and that she was knocked out or something. Tell Paige I said hi." Daryl smiled at them both and then left the room.

Phoebe looked thoughtfully at Piper, "You know sometimes I don't know what we'd do without him.

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A/N: Ok people, you know the drill! Whether you liked the story or not please leave a review as it encourages me to write more. If you don't like it then review and tell me what it is you don't like and how I could improve. I really appreciate any comments that are left!


	5. Home Again

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they mean a lot to me.

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Later that night, Paige was released from hospital. It was late and they were all tired. Paige lay in the back of the car with her head resting in Phoebe's lap. Phoebe was stroking her hair comfortingly. They arrived home and Phoebe helped Paige out of the car.

As soon as they got in the front door Piper started towards the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Phoebe called looking confused,

"I'm going to work out how to vanquish the bastard who attacked my sister!"

"Piper, just calm down. Maybe we should relax for a bit, you know, I could make some tea and you could make something to eat."

Paige yawned, "Actually, Pheebs I'm just gonna have a bath and go to bed. I'm exhausted."

Piper nodded, "Ok then, I'll be in the attic." She continued up the stairs and out of sight.

Phoebe turned to Paige, "Do you need a hand?"

"I'll be ok but thanks for asking." Paige paused at the bottom of the stairs, "I never thanked you or Piper for helping me earlier…"

Phoebe looked confused, "Why wouldn't we help you? You're our sister."

"Half-sister technically."

Phoebe walked over to her and took her hand, "Where's this coming from? Ok, so we have different Dads but that doesn't make you any less of a sister to me. Or to Piper."

Paige nodded slowly, "I know… It's just been an emotional day that's all. Anyway, I'm going to go and have my bath." She smiled and started up the stairs.

"Ok, just make sure you keep your cast out of the water."

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Paige ran a deep, hot, bubble bath and took her clothes off. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed miserably at all the bruises and scars. She ran her fingers over the several sets of stitches going across her stomach and face then with one final sigh she stepped into the bath and sunk back into the water.

Phoebe went into her bedroom to get her pyjamas on. As she approached her wardrobe she saw a picture of Cole in a frame on her window sill. "Son-of-a-bitch!" She slammed the frame picture side down making the glass at the front smash. She quickly changed into her pyjamas and then went up to the attic.

Piper was throwing various ingredients together in a pot, glancing at the Book of Shadows every now and then. She looked up as Phoebe entered the room. "Oh good, you're here. I think I may have had an idea how to vanquish Cole… If we make our three strongest vanquishing potions and mix them all together then that should make them strong enough to…" Piper noticed how quiet Phoebe was. "Honey? You ok?" She crossed the room so that she was standing directly in front of her sister.

Phoebe gave her a small smile, "Yeah I'm alright I just… I don't know… Even though what he did to Paige today was unforgivable, I still can't help feeling upset that we're going to vanquish him. I can't explain it… You probably think I'm crazy." Phoebe looked down, playing with a loose thread on her sleeve.

"I do understand, sweetie. I guess it would be like if Leo ever hurt one of you. I'd vanquish his sorry ass if he ever did but that doesn't mean it would stop it hurting. You and Cole may not be together anymore but that doesn't mean you don't still care for him on some level."

"I always knew we'd have to vanquish him sooner or later. I guess I was just putting it off and trying to delay the inevitable. I never dreamt he'd hurt Paige. I never knew he'd go that far. If I did I'd have vanquished him a long time ago and now I feel so guilty… I keep thinking to myself that if I hadn't have kept putting it off all the time then Paige would be ok." Phoebe wiped away a few tears that leaked out.

"Oh, Pheebs, You can't blame yourself! Like I've already told you, you didn't know what was going to happen, none of us did. It wasn't just you putting off the vanquish, we all were so I guess we're all a little guilty on some level. I know it's going to be hard for you when the showdown happens but I'm here for you ok?" Phoebe nodded and Piper pulled her in for a hug.

"So what was your idea about the vanquishing potion?" Phoebe pulled out of the hug and walked over to the Book of Shadows.

"I just thought that maybe if we mixed three of our strongest vanquishing potions together then that would work because that would be like a triple strength potion."

"That's a good idea. I'll make this one and you carry on with the one you're working on." Phoebe started getting the ingredients out that she needed. Suddenly there was a crash from the bathroom, Piper and Phoebe both ran down the attic stairs fearing the worst.

Piper knocked on the bathroom door, "Paige? Are you ok? Can we come in?"

Paige's voice sounded from the other side of the door, "I'm fine Piper. I just had an accident that's all."

Phoebe pushed the door open and saw shards of glass on the floor from what had once been Leo's small shaving mirror. Paige was kneeling on the floor in her pyjamas trying to scrape the glass into a pile. "I'm sorry, it was an accident, I knocked it with my cast and it fell off the side." Paige swore as she caught her finger on a piece and it started bleeding.

Piper hurried forward "Come on, honey, leave that. I'll fetch the dustpan and brush. Let's get you into bed." She got Paige to her feet and they took her through to her bedroom. Phoebe pulled the covers back for her and then once Paige was in and lying comfortably she tucked them back up round her chin.

"Not meaning to sound melodramatic or incredibly babyish but can one of you sleep with me? I don't want to be on my own in case Cole comes after me again. After all, he wants me dead…"

"Did you honestly think we were going to let you sleep on your own tonight? We're both staying in here with you. Phoebe, you can sleep in the bed with Paige, I'll sleep on the sofa. We'll finish the potions tomorrow."

Piper left the room to clean up the mess in the bathroom and to get her pyjamas on. She returned 15 minutes later with her duvet and pillow and stopped to smile at the sight in front of her.

Paige was already fast asleep; she was cuddled up in Phoebe's arms with her head resting on Phoebe's chest. Phoebe had her arms wrapped protectively round Paige and was running one hand up and down her back soothingly.

"You two look adorable!" Piper grinned as she made up her bed on the sofa. Phoebe smiled sleepily at her as Piper climbed under the covers.

"I just want to protect her. I still feel so guilty about what happened." Piper opened her mouth to reply but Phoebe cut her off, "I know what you're going to say. You're going to try and tell me that it wasn't my fault and there was nothing I could do about it… Well, maybe that's true but it doesn't stop me feeling guilty."

They lay in silence for a few minutes before eventually drifting off to sleep.


	6. Bad Dreams And Evil Plans

_He was kicking and punching her. She couldn't orb. Every time she tried he would knock her down. It seemed like it had been going on for hours. A hard punch to the face made her stagger backwards and tumble to the floor. Then his feet came back into play. He was wearing heavy boots and each kick was agony._

"_Please stop!" She scrambled onto her hands and knees trying desperately to get away from him but another well aimed kick to her stomach made her drop back down on the floor. Cole grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her head back so that she was looking directly into his green, hate-filled eyes._

"_You ruined everything for me!" Cole slammed her face into the hard floor and smiled evilly as he heard her nose break._

_Using the table for support she managed to get to her feet. She dodged as Cole lunged for her with an athame but he still managed to slash her pretty deeply down her cheek. Blood was running freely down her face onto her neck._

_She felt dizzy for a moment and tried to steady herself although pain seemed to be throbbing through every part of her body. Before she had time to react she felt the blade of the athame plunge deep into her stomach and she knew all was lost. Cole yanked the blade out and she dropped to the floor. She tried to break her fall but her arm was at an awkward angle and she felt her wrist break. He kicked her over so that she was lying on her back. His eyes bore into hers as he tightened his grip on the athame. She stared up at him, pleading with her eyes for him to stop. She found no mercy._

_With a yell he dropped to his knees and drove the athame into her again. Pulling it out, he stabbed her a third time but this time he left it in, holding on to the handle and twisting the blade round._

_She screamed in pain, tears running down her bloodstained cheeks. Darkness was closing in around her and she didn't care anymore. Cole gave the knife one final cruel twist before wrenching it out._

"_Don't die yet, I have one more surprise for you…" He left the room and came back carrying a large whip with small metal spikes on the end. _

_She couldn't take anymore, she'd die if she had any more pain inflicted on her. Summoning her last bit of strength she managed to orb out just as the whip snapped down towards her._

Paige woke with a start, gasping for breath. She saw her sisters looking down at her with concern etched on their faces.

Phoebe smoothed Paige's hair back, "Ssh… It's ok honey, you're safe. We're here, everything's alright."

Piper sat down next to her on the bed, "You wanna talk about it?" Paige shook her head. "That was obviously a hell of a nightmare you were having. You woke us both up and it took us forever to wake you"

"Sorry…" Paige glanced at the clock. It was 4am, much too early to get up.

Piper smiled kindly at her, "You don't need to be sorry. We're just worried that's all."

Paige tried to sit up and gasped when a sharp pain shot through her stomach. "When's Leo gonna be back?"

"I don't know, he had to go and see one of his charges. You know how long that can take sometimes, but don't change the subject." Piper took Paige's hand, "If you don't want to talk about it then it's ok but it might help."

Paige sighed, "I was just reliving what happened to me today, that's all." Piper lay down next to her and wrapped her arms around her baby sister, "I won't let him hurt you again, missy Paige, I promise."

Phoebe smiled at them both, "Hey Piper, you want me to sleep on the sofa for a bit?"

"No, it's ok. There's plenty of room here for all of us."

Paige moved over a bit to make some more room. Piper and Phoebe both wrapped their arms round her making her feel like she was in a cocoon. She felt safe and loved though and she soon fell asleep.

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Cole paced restlessly around his apartment. He couldn't believe that stupid witch had escaped! No doubt she'd alerted her sisters by now, he knew he had to move fast if he wanted his plan to work.

She had created another small problem though. Cole stopped his pacing and stood still, his brow furrowed. Now that she had informed her sisters there was no chance to win Phoebe back. She could never love a man who tried to kill her sister.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, he could always perform a memory spell on Piper and Phoebe once Paige was dead. Make them think that it was a different demon that killed her. Hell, he could even make them think that he'd tried to save her! This plan could work. But first, he needed Paige out of the way.

He still wanted her to suffer though, he didn't think she'd suffered nearly enough for destroying his and Phoebe's relationship. Another idea formed in his mind and he crossed the room quickly to where he kept his files. He opened one and looked down at the information with a small smile playing on his lips. Yes, that would work. That would break her.

Slamming the file closed again, he grinned evilly. Paige Matthews was going to get what was coming to her once and for all.

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A/N: Time for you to review! Pleeeeeeeaassse!


	7. The Next Day

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, don't stop! They mean a lot to me and they're what keep inspiring me to write. Love you all!

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Paige woke the next morning feeling stiff and sore, her stab wounds were throbbing and she felt like she'd been hit by a bus. Opening her eyes, she saw Phoebe lying next to her, watching her.

"Morning sleepy head." Phoebe smiled and sat up, "How're you feeling this morning?"

Paige licked her dry lips and struggled to take a breath. "It… Hurts…"

"I know, sweetie, I know. Piper's cooking you some breakfast and she's going to bring you some painkillers up as well. I'm going to help you wash and change your clothes." Phoebe got off the bed and opened Paige's clothes drawers. She pulled out a vest top and a pair of slacks. "I'm gonna help you sit up honey, this might hurt a bit." She put one arm under Paige's back and gripped her arm with her free hand. "Ready? One, two, three!" She pulled Paige up into a sitting position and held her as she cried out in pain. "It's ok, shhh, you're ok. That's the worst bit over."

Paige tried to get her breathing in order, "When's Leo gonna be back? I really want him to heal me…"

"I know but he went off on Whitelighter business and you know how that can take days sometimes. Let's go and get you washed, you'll feel a bit better after that."

She helped Paige stand and then supported her as they went to the bathroom. She sat Paige down on the toilet seat and helped her take her top off. Wetting a washcloth with warm water she gently wiped her face and body and cleaned her wounds. She helped her put her clean top on and then helped her take off her pyjama trousers and once again cleaned her wounds. She let Paige do her underwear herself and then helped her put on her slacks.

Picking up a hairbrush she eased it through Paige's tangled hair, coaxing out the knots and helping Paige to relax.

She heard Piper coming up the stairs and left Paige to use the toilet and brush her teeth, telling her to call if she needed any help.

She walked back into Paige's room and saw Piper setting down a tray of Paige's favourite food, chocolate chip pancakes. She poured some orange juice from a jug into a glass and set it on Paige's bedside table.

"Need a hand with anything?"

Piper plumped up Paige's pillows and then turned to face Phoebe, "You could help me with the potions…"

"I promise I'll help you with that as soon as we've finished breakfast."

Piper continued straightening the bed sheets out, "I'm not hungry, I'm going to get on with the potions right away. You can help Paige with breakfast."

Phoebe sighed, "No Piper. You're going to sit down and eat. It won't do you any good starving yourself."

"I'm not starving myself! I just want to get on with the potions that's all."

"Piper, you didn't have anything to eat last night. You've got to have something. The potions can wait for now, we can't vanquish him until Paige is feeling better anyway. She can hardly stand at the minute."

Piper's face crumpled and she sat on the edge of the bed trying but failing not to cry, "I just want him gone Pheebs, he attacked our sister and now all I can think about is inflicting as much pain on him as he caused for her."

Phoebe sat next to her and put an arm round her shoulders. "I know how you feel, I feel the same way but the best thing we can do at the minute is get Paige better. Then we can go after Cole. But we're gonna need the power of three to do it."

"I know, you're right. I'm just so angry with him!"

They heard Paige call from the bathroom and both of them stood up.

"I'll go." Piper left the room before Phoebe could argue.

Entering the bathroom, Piper saw Paige still sitting on the toilet seat. The bruising on her face and arms was more visible today and Piper noticed for the first time how young and innocent her baby sister looked. "Hey, baby girl, How're you feeling today?"

"Very sore but better now that I've had a wash and everything." She paused and sniffed the air, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yep, chocolate chip pancakes! Need a hand?" Paige nodded and Piper helped her to her feet and wrapped an arm round her waist, her other hand supporting her by the elbow. She could see that Paige was trying to act tougher than she actually felt so she pretended not to notice when Paige winced and leaned into her.

She helped Paige back into bed and then set the tray on her knees. "Ok, listen, I'm just gonna go and make me and Phoebe some breakfast and I'll be right back." Phoebe grinned triumphantly and received a playful shove from Piper.

Piper returned a short while later with two more plates of pancakes. Just at that moment Leo orbed into the room.

"Leo! Thank God! Please heal me!"

Leo looked at Paige and his face registered shock when he saw her injuries, "What on earth happened?"

Piper handed Phoebe her plate and set hers on the side then turned to her husband, "Long story short, Cole wants Paige dead and he made a pretty good attempt, therefore we're now going to vanquish his sorry ass!"

Leo glanced at Phoebe, "Are you ok with this?"

"How can you even ask me that question? He tried to kill my sister, I can never forgive him for that."

Leo nodded and sat next to Paige on the bed. She pulled her top up a little way revealing her stomach indicating he should start there. Leo shook his head, "I can heal most of your injuries but the broken wrist, stab wounds and the slash on your face will have to stay, otherwise the doctor will get suspicious when you don't turn up to get the stitches and cast removed."

Paige pulled her top back down looking upset, "Please Leo! It's my stomach that hurts the most!"

"No, I'm sorry." He healed all her bruising and cuts then he healed her broken nose. "I bet you feel a bit better now."

Paige looked sulky, "A bit but I'd feel a hell of a lot better if you'd heal my stomach!"

Leo sighed and stood up, "I should go and inform the Elders what happened." He quickly kissed Piper then orbed out.

Phoebe saw that Paige still looked upset, "Don't worry honey, they'll heal up before you know it!"

They all sat in silence finishing their breakfast. Once they were all done Piper stacked up the plates. "Right I'll take these down, then me and Phoebe are going to work on the vanquishing potion. I want you to rest."

"I want to help with it! Leo healed most of me, I don't need to rest." Piper looked at her sceptically "I mean it, Piper. Look, Cole tried to kill me. I think it's only fair I help make the vanquishing potion." Piper was silent for a moment then she nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, fine. But I want you to rest this afternoon." Paige saluted her cheekily and then turned to Phoebe as Piper left the room.

"Can you help?" Phoebe was automatically at her side. She helped her to her feet then supported her as they went up to the attic stairs.

They reached the attic and Phoebe pushed a chair so that it was next to the table where all the ingredients were laid out. Paige sat down and pulled the Book of Shadows over so that she could look at the potion she was supposed to make. "Do you think this will work?"

Phoebe was busy slicing some mandrake root. "It should do. I mean these three are the strongest vanquishing potions we have so mixed together it should be pretty powerful.

They spent the morning mixing the potions. Finally they were finished and Piper carefully poured an equal mix of each into a vial. She looked up at her sisters, "Let's go demon hunting."

She saw Phoebe looking a bit miserable, "You ok, Pheebs?" When Phoebe didn't answer she walked over to her and gently pulled her into her arms, she ran her fingers through her hair and kissed her on the cheek. "I know it's hard but believe me, it'll be better for all of us when he's gone." Phoebe nodded and rested her head on Piper's shoulder.

Suddenly Cole shimmered into the attic right next to Paige. She gasped and orbed over next to her sisters.

Piper glared at him furiously, "What the hell are you doing here! Get out!" She raised the potion vial, ready to throw.

Cole grinned, "Relax Piper, I just came to see Paige."

Phoebe moved in front of Paige protectively, "You stay away from her!"

Cole held out his hand. In it was Paige's necklace. "I just came to return this. You left it in my apartment yesterday. Speaking of which we should do that again some time. It was fun." He put the necklace down on the table then shimmered out.

The room swam in front of Paige and she felt nausea bubbling up from the pit of her stomach. Her sisters suddenly became aware that she had gone paler than normal and was swaying on the spot. Jumping into action they seized an arm each and led her towards the sofa. Sitting next to her, Piper gently eased her head down so it was between her legs. Phoebe knelt in front of her on the floor, resting her hands on Paige's knees.

Piper rubbed Paige's back soothingly, "It's ok honey, just breathe." Gradually the room stopped swimming and Paige felt ok enough to sit up normally. "He's gonna get me, isn't he?" Phoebe and Piper shared a worried glance.

Phoebe cupped Paige's face in her hand, "I promise you, sweetie, we're not going to let him touch you again." Paige leaned into the touch and a few tears ran down her face. Phoebe gently wiped the tears away with her thumb. "Do you want to go and have a rest?" Paige shook her head and a look of determination came over her face, "No, I want to go and vanquish Cole." She took the small potion bottle from Piper and looked at it.

Piper looked surprised, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to let him have that hold over me. I'm not going to be able to sleep easily while he's still alive. I won't survive if he takes me again, I barely survived last time. I just can't through that pain again."

Piper nodded then said quietly, "Ok then… Let's go." Paige took hold of their hands then with a small smile she orbed them to Cole's apartment.


	8. A Failed Vanquish

Cole sat down at his desk feeling pleased with himself. She'd looked so scared when he appeared! He smirked and pulled a stack of papers towards himself. Her sisters couldn't guard her forever. Sooner or later she'd be unprotected and then he'd strike! He didn't hear them orb in behind him. He did, however, hear Paige's breath catch in her throat. He got up quickly and turned to face them.

"Here to vanquish me are you?" He kept his voice calm and polite as if they were having an ordinary conversation. He looked at Piper whose eyes were full of hate and anger for what he'd done to her baby sister.

"That's right." Her voice dripped with venom and for a split second he actually felt fear. He pulled himself together quickly and smiled pleasantly at her. This seemed to infuriate her more which he was pleased about.

"Do you really think you have the power to kill me?" He looked at Phoebe. He was challenging her and she knew it.

"Only one way to find out. Throw the potion, Paige."

He turned his steely gaze on the youngest Halliwell who froze with her arm in the air, mid-throw, "Yeah come on Paige. Throw the potion. Vanquish me." Piper turned to her sister to see her eyes full of fear and tears.

"You can do it, Paige…"

Paige took a shaky breath, "Burn in hell you bastard!" She threw the potion at him and looked away as flames erupted around him and he screamed in agony. There was a huge explosion knocking the sisters to the ground. Phoebe was the first to get to her feet. Coughing, she wafted away the smoke that hung in the air like a think mist. What she saw before her made her heart stop. Cole was standing there completely unharmed. Piper and Paige got to their feet and stood in shock not sure what to do or say.

Cole smirked at Paige, "Surprise!"

Paige choked back a sob and orbed herself and her sisters out of the apartment.

As soon as they arrived back at the manor, Paige fled upstairs to her bedroom in tears.

Phoebe felt emotionally drained as she watched her little sister run up the stairs. She turned to Piper, "Should we follow?"

Piper sighed wearily and sank onto the sofa, "No, let her be on her own for a while."

"What are we going to do about Cole?"

"I don't know, I really don't. I wish I did… I'd give anything to stop Paige feeling so scared but I haven't got a clue what we do. That was one of the most powerful vanquishing potions we've ever made and it didn't even dent him!"

Phoebe sat next to her and draped an arm round her shoulders, "We'll figure something out…"

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"Bitch!" Cole threw a fireball at his coffee table causing it to explode into a smouldering pile of ash. How dare she try and vanquish him! After everything she'd put him through! After all the heartache and pain he'd suffered and he was sure Phoebe had suffered too! How dare she put him through all the pain of that lousy attempted vanquish! Hadn't she caused him enough pain already?

He was disappointed with Piper. He thought he knew her better. He thought she'd be supportive. After all, Paige was only her half sister and it was her fault Prue was dead. He thought Piper couldn't wait to get rid of her, obviously she'd changed a lot more than he'd realised.

Still, she'd pay when Paige was dead. If she was as close to her sister as it seemed then killing Paige would be punishment enough. He couldn't wait to get rid of Paige once and for all. But not before he made her suffer as much as she deserved!

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Leo orbed into the living room to see Phoebe asleep on the sofa. He could hear Piper and Paige talking and followed the sounds of their voices. As he entered the kitchen he saw them both sat at the kitchen table chatting.

"Hi guys."

Paige looked up miserably, "Hi Leo. What'd Elders say?"

"Not a lot I'm afraid. They're not sure if a normal vanquishing potion will work however-"

Piper interrupted him, "They're right. It didn't."

Paige shushed Piper and turned back to Leo, "Do they have any idea what will work?"

Leo shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Piper snorted, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"There's one more thing…" Leo hesitated knowing that Piper wouldn't be happy, "I've been assigned a new charge so I'm not going to be around much for the next couple of weeks."

"What! Are you kidding me? We're up against Phoebe's invincible, deranged ex-husband who wants our sister dead and you're bailing on us?"

"I'm not bailing on you! You can still call me if you need me but I'll only be able to come if it's an emergency. I love you." He gave Piper a quick kiss on the cheek and orbed out.

Paige sunk her head into her arms, "I'm screwed…" Piper squeezed her shoulder.

"You're not screwed honey, We'll figure something out, we always do. You never know. Cole may have given up."

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A/N: So, hands up who believes that? Looks round No-one? Well, the quicker you review the quicker the next two chapters will be up! Plus I love reading them!


	9. Long Day

A/N: Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are great!

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A few days later Paige woke early. It was a cool morning but the sun streamed in through the window promisingly. She was happy to find that she felt better than she had in a while. She left her bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen. She wasn't surprised to see Piper already awake and cooking breakfast.

Piper smiled at her as she took a seat at the table, "Morning, You're up early!" She poured her a cup of coffee and passed it to her.

"Speak for yourself! Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I've got to go to the club. Someone's screwed up some paper work so I have to go and straighten everything out." She picked up the frying pan and slid an omelette onto a plate, followed by a couple of slices of toast. Handing the plate to Paige she picked up her bag and keys. "I'll see you in a bit. I shouldn't be too long, a couple of hours at the most. Will you be ok here on your own?"

Paige looked up sharply, "What do you mean 'on my own'? Where's Phoebe?"

Piper looked uncomfortable, "She had to go to work, you know what her boss is like… I can stay if you want me to or you could come with me?"

Paige shook her head, "Nah, I'll be fine. Just lock the door. I'll orb to you if there's any trouble." Piper didn't move. She looked worried. "Honestly! I'll be fine!"

"Ok then but if I'm not back by lunchtime I want you to ring me so I know you're ok."

Paige looked puzzled, "I thought you said it would only take a couple of hours?"

"Well, it should but I don't really know until I get there. I don't know how screwed up the papers are."

"Right ok then. Not a problem." She saw that Piper still looked doubtful, "Piper! Will you just go already? I'll be fine! I'll ring you at noon if you're not back now get going!"

"Ok, ok! Jeez!" Piper grinned and waved then left, locking the door behind her.

As soon as Paige heard Piper's car drive off she started to worry, "Ok, Paige, calm down… Stop being a baby!" She found that she couldn't finish the omelette and threw it in the bin.

She stood still for a moment, shivering at how eerily quiet the house was. A pipe groaned from somewhere nearby and a floorboard creaked. Paige found herself starting to panic and wrapped her arms round herself. She decided she'd feel better if she kept busy so she started making her way up to the attic to work on new ideas for vanquishing Cole.

Meanwhile…

Piper pulled up outside the club to find her manager waiting outside.

"Thank God you're here, Piper! Some of the contracts have gone missing, the financial charts have all been messed up and it looks like we have a rodent problem!"

"What! Okay, start at the beginning… Who was the last person to handle the contracts?"

The manager looked flustered, "You were! I don't know what you've done with them but the band we had booked for tonight is refusing to play without it!"

"Ok, the contracts should be in my office, if they're not then I will ring the band's manager and try and sort something out. What were you saying about the financial charts?"

"Well, they're just completely messed up. They're all in the wrong order, some are missing… It's a nightmare."

"But I sorted them myself just last week! How did they get messed up?" The manager shrugged so she quickly got on to the subject of the other problem, "And how the hell have we got rodents? We can't open the club if there's a rodent infestation! It goes against health and safety!"

"I don't know but you need to sort it. I have to go home, my wife's ill." Without a backwards glance he sauntered off to his car.

"What? Wait! I-" The manager slammed his door closed and drove off, "This is going to be a long day…"

Phoebe sat in Elise's office unsure what to say. Elise had just informed her that the database had crashed and all her work was gone.

"But… But that took me hours to do! All my letters are on there, my replies, my research!"

Elise shrugged, "Sorry, but there's nothing I can do. You should have made copies of everything. All you can do is rewrite it all."

"Rewrite it! Do you have any idea how long that'll take!"

Elise took a deep breath and said quietly, "Do you have any idea what'll happen to your job if you don't?"

Phoebe got up and left the office without another word. Storming into her own office, she slammed the door shut behind her. She looked at the stacks of unopened envelopes on her desk. "This is going to be a long day…"


	10. Taken Again

Paige slammed the Book of Shadows closed with a dejected sigh. There was nothing, _nothing_ in there that was even remotely helpful in vanquishing a supposed invincible demon. There had to be something she was overlooking though. She refused to believe that she was going to have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.

Speaking of which… Paige glanced nervously over her shoulder. She hated being alone in the manor. Well, in all honesty she hated being alone at all, not that she'd ever admit that to her sisters. They didn't need to know how screwed up her life was before she met them. They'd never understand anyway, what it meant to be _truly_ alone.

A creak of a floorboard made her look up sharply.

Cole.

He was standing in the doorway with a triumphant smile on his face. As she went to orb he hurled a small potion bottle at her. She'd never been hit with a potion before and it felt weird. She could feel her power ebbing out of her and she started to panic. She attempted to orb again but found that she that she couldn't.

Cole laughed, "I wouldn't bother trying if I were you. That was a power stripping potion I hit you with." He laughed even more but stopped as Paige flung a chair at him. It hit him and knocked him across the room. He landed with a crash , smashing into the bookcase and sending bits of broken wood and books everywhere. When he saw Paige running out the door he quickly scrambled to his feet and took off after her.

He managed to grab her by the back of her shirt and swung her round. He punched her several times in the stomach making her stitches burst. In a moment of desperation she rammed her cast as hard as she could up into his throat. The cast cracked underneath his jaw, clamping his teeth down onto his tongue and causing blood to spill out of his mouth onto the floor. He let out a howl and let go of her, clutching his jaw.

Paige was holding her stomach as she ran, blood seeping through her shirt.. She made it down the attic stairs but as she reached the top of the main stairs an energy ball hit her in the back making her lose her footing. She tumbled and rolled all the way down. Her head bounced off the hard floor and she lay there groaning in pain begging the dizziness to pass. She was sure a few of her ribs were broken. She managed to stand up and went towards the front door. She stopped short when Cole appeared in front of her.

Changing direction she ran as fast as she could towards the kitchen throwing random objects over her shoulder at Cole trying to slow him down. She wondered briefly why he didn't just shimmer in front of her and grab her but she guessed that he was probably enjoying the chase. She banged her bad arm on the doorframe as she entered the kitchen and was surprised to find that it hurt. Glancing down she saw that her cast had split at the top, exposing her wrist.

Cole waved his arm towards the frightened woman and telekinetically threw her. She went flying over the counter sending pots, pans and other kitchen appliances with her. He was bored with teasing her now and as she got to her feet he punched her hard in the face knocking her out. Scooping her up in his arms he shimmered from the manor.

Arriving in his own apartment he dropped Paige onto the floor. He stood there for a moment looking down at her. She was so helpless. He could kill her now and there'd be nothing she could do about it. He restrained himself though. He wanted her to suffer first and he'd already figured out exactly how to do that. He kneeled down next to her and conjured a pair of shackles. He quickly secured her hands behind her back then proceeded to remove her clothing. This was going to be fun.

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Phoebe pressed save then sank back in her chair feeling satisfied. She had just finished re-doing all of the work that was lost along with answering all of today's letters. She'd made two hard copies and printed off tomorrows column. Man, was she good!

She glanced at the clock and her smile got bigger. Time for her lunch break. She picked up her bag and searched for her lipstick, she couldn't find her one but found Paige's in it's place. She chuckled. Paige would kill her when she found out she'd taken hers. Oh well, it would do for now. Pulling it out she gasped as she was thrown into a premonition.

As the vision cleared and she slowly came back to reality she fought the urge to be sick. Quickly she reached for her phone and dialled the number of Piper's cell phone.

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Piper carefully placed the recovered contracts into the safe, along with the finance charts. She couldn't believe how long it had taken to sort out the papers! And as for the rodents! She'd had to call in some specialists to deal with them.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and scrunched up her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on. As she glanced round wondering where she'd put the aspirin her cell phone began to ring.

She snatched it up from off the desk and answered it whilst still searching for some aspirin.

"Hello?"

"Piper, it's Phoebe. Listen to me, I've just had a premonition. A very bad premonition. About Paige."

Piper instantly stopped what she was doing, "What did you see?" Her heart pounded in her chest and waited with baited breath, not wanting to hear what Phoebe had to say but forcing herself to listen.

"She was with Cole, he was raping her."

"Where?"

"At his apartment but it hasn't happened yet so she's probably still at home"

"I'll meet you at the manor." Hanging up, Piper grabbed her jacket and ran to her car praying that she got there in time.

When Piper pulled up outside the manor she saw Phoebe already running up the steps towards the house. She quickly caught her up and they flung open the front door, stopping in their tracks at what they saw.

There were books and pieces of furniture scattered about all over the place, some of the dining room chairs were tipped over and there was a smudge of blood across the floor near the base of the stairs.

"We're too late…" Phoebe's eyes filled with tears.

Piper shook her head her expression angry and determined. "No! You said that your vision took place at Cole's apartment so we could still get there in time." Without another word they ran from the house and jumped back into Piper's car. They screeched off both silently praying that Paige was okay.

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A/N: This was one of my favourite chapters to write so I really hope everyone likes it as much as I do. Please review! It only takes a minute and it means a lot to me.


	11. In His Clutches

A/N: Hi everyone! Just so you know I've altered a couple of chapters. Nothing big, just adding a couple of extra lines to conversations etc. Amyway, here's the next chapter and thanks again to everyone who reviewed!

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Paige opened her eyes slowly. She hurt all over and it took her a moment to realise where she was. When she recognised her surroundings she started to panic and tried to sit up but found that her wrists were secured behind her back and that moving caused pain to erupt all over her body. It was then that she realised she was naked.

Cole entered the room and grinned down at her. Paige noticed that his jaw had completely healed. "Good, I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake up."

"My sisters will find a way to vanquish you! Phoebe will never take you back if you kill me!"

"Oh, I think she will. You see, when you're dead I'm going to cast a spell over their memories so that they think someone else killed you. Of course I'll have to do it to that pesky whitelighter too. I'm even going to make them all think that I tried to save you! Genius eh? But enough talking. Let's get down to business." He took a roll of tape from his pocket and stuck a strip securely over her mouth to prevent her from calling for help.

Cole then began kicking her viscously over and over again. Unable to protect herself, Paige tried to roll out the way and received an especially hard kick for her troubles. She brought her knees up to her chest and tucked her head down to try and protect herself as best she could. Even so she still felt a few bones snap and break.

After a while, Cole decided that the kicking was getting boring so he conjured a crowbar. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to me and Phoebe!" He raised the crowbar above his head and brought it down with such force Paige felt her shoulder shatter. She tried to scream but the tape prevented her from making any noise other than moans and whimpers. Cole beat her some more then the crowbar disappeared and was replaced with an athame.

Rolling her onto her stomach, he undid her hands, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fight back now. He leaned down so that his mouth was by her ear. "I know what you went through before you met your half-sisters. You brought it on yourself you know… You're a whore, Paige, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it." Putting the tip of the knife to her back he slowly carved the word 'whore' deep into her flesh. Paige cried and struggled but he pressed his knee into her lower back to keep her still until he'd finished.

He flipped her over so that she was lying on her back. "Don't cry, half breed, it's almost over. I've just got one more thing to do before I end your miserable existence." As he began undoing his trousers Paige suddenly realised what he was planning to do and tried her best to get away from him. He punched her hard, breaking her jaw, then positioned himself between her legs. Paige whimpered and a shooting pain shot up through her jaw.

"This is for every ounce of pain you've caused me." Then without another word he shoved himself inside her. Every part of Paige's body screamed in resistance and she felt blood oozing out from between her legs as he pounded into her again and again. She tried to struggle with him but he was much stronger than her and every struggle cost her a punch or slap. Eventually she just lay there limply waiting for him to stop.

It seemed like a lifetime to Paige before he was finished. He lay on top of her for a minute, panting, then slowly pulled himself out of her. Getting to his feet he fastened his trousers back up and left the room. She didn't want to think about what he was going to do next. She was shaking badly from a mixture of shock and pain and she felt like she was going to be sick.

She heard a car screech to a halt outside and begged to any God that was listening that it wasn't her sisters. She couldn't let them see her like this. She was dirty… She was a whore. She didn't want them to see her for what she really was. She'd had a hard enough time getting them to accept her when they first met. Especially Piper. She couldn't stand to see the disappointment and disgust in her sisters eyes. She didn't want to watch yet another person she cared about turn and abandon her.

She heard the elevator doors open and braced herself. She knew that they wouldn't want anything to do with her once they saw what had happened.


	12. Sisters To The Rescue?

Piper's car came to a halt outside the building where Cole's apartment was. Piper and Phoebe flung themselves out of the car and ran inside. As the elevator came to a stop on Cole's floor the sisters waited with baited breath as the doors slowly opened. Both were terrified at what they might find.

The first thing they saw was Paige's broken, bleeding body sprawled naked across the floor. They rushed over to her but Paige shuffled away from them with a frightened whimper. They could see that she had several broken bones and was bleeding heavily in several places.

Piper took her jacket off and approached her youngest sister slowly trying not to frighten her anymore than she already was. "It's okay, sweetheart, we're not going to hurt you." Her voice broke and she struggled to swallow back her tears. They were too late. She'd never forgive herself. She'd promised her baby sister that she wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. She'd failed her.

Cole walked back into the room and smiled at them. "Piper! Phoebe! What a pleasant surprise!"

Paige let out another frightened whimper and passed out. Piper covered her gently with her jacket and peeled the tape away from her mouth. Desperately she looked upwards and started calling for Leo.

Phoebe got to her feet shaking with anger. "You bastard! How could you do this!"

Cole chuckled, "Actually I think you'll find the only bastard here is Paige." Phoebe punched him as hard as she could. He staggered backwards and smiled, "You know how damn sexy you are when you're angry?" Phoebe let out a grunt of disgust and went back over to her sisters.

Cole walked over to the group slowly. Phoebe instantly tensed herself, ready to fight if she had to.

He smiled, "Don't worry I'm not going to kill her yet. I was going to but I know you'll only attack me if I try and I don't want to have to hurt you. I'll get another opportunity."

Phoebe looked helpless, "Please Cole, If you love me as much as you say then don't hurt Paige. Just leave her alone… please…"

"I'm doing you a favour! She ruined things between us. It's her fault Prue died, I'm surprised you two are even defending her!"

Piper got to her feet angrily, "How dare you! It's your fault things didn't work out with Phoebe! Get it into your thick head, she could never stay with someone who's evil! Someone who tried to kill her sisters! And Paige had nothing to do with how Prue died! That was all down to Shax!"

"Oh, come on Piper! Phoebe was with me long after she found out I was a demon! And you can't pretend that you didn't resent Paige in the beginning! You felt like she was trying to replace Prue!"

Piper shook her head, "I'm not listening to this, LEO! Please! We need you!"

"You know, I've actually done more damage than you realize. You see, this isn't the first time Paige has been raped… Poor girl…" He shook his head sadly, "It brought back a lot of bad memories for her."

Phoebe looked up sharply, "What's that supposed to mean?" Cole grinned and shrugged at her.

Leo orbed in and dropped down next to Paige. Seeing the condition she was in he quickly orbed them all back to the manor.

Arriving back in Paige's bedroom, Piper finally allowed herself to break down in tears as Phoebe held her close. Leo held his hands over Paige's broken form and began healing her.

Phoebe looked at him questioningly, "What are her injuries?"

Leo frowned, "Shattered shoulder, broken collar bone, broken wrist, broken ribs, broken jaw, dislocated ankle, her stomach wounds have reopened, damage from being raped and she's had the word 'whore' cut into her back. Other than that there's just cuts and bruises."

Her cast was practically hanging off so Leo removed it completely and healed her wrist. When Phoebe looked at him quizzically he said that he'd use memory dust on the doctor.

As he finished healing her, Paige started to stir. Piper hurriedly wiped her eyes and looked at Leo, "Maybe you shouldn't be here. She might panic if she sees a man near her." Leo nodded and orbed out.

Paige sat bolt upright in bed gasping. Phoebe immediately wrapped her arms round her and rocked her as she sobbed. "It's alright honey, you're safe. We've got you."

Suddenly aware that all she was covered with was Piper's jacket she quickly scrambled off the bed. "I need to shower. I need to be clean." She grabbed her bathrobe and hurried to the bathroom locking the door behind her.

Piper and Phoebe heard the shower switch on and exchanged a worried look. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

"I hope so, Pheebs, I really hope so. I have no idea how to help her through this though. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to raped."

"What do you think Cole meant? When he said that wasn't the first time it'd happened to her?"

"I don't know. I'd have thought she'd have told us something like that but maybe it was too painful to talk about. We'll just have to hope she opens up to us."

Paige stood in the shower scrubbing her skin so hard that it quickly turned red. She had to get clean. She had to. Her breath was coming in short ragged gasps and soon she was leaning with her back against the wall, sobbing. She slid down into a sitting position and brought her knees up to chest. She sank her head into her arms, crying harder than she ever had before.

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Piper sat in the kitchen staring blankly into her cup of tea. It had gone cold now but she didn't care, She hadn't even wanted it in the first place. Sighing she got up and tipped the contents down the sink.

She heard a sound behind her and spun round quickly to find Phoebe walking through the door. Her hair was messed up as though she'd run her hand through it repeatedly and she looked emotionally drained.

Piper gave her a small smile, "You look how I feel…"

Phoebe didn't answer her but looked up towards the ceiling.

"Something wrong?"

"She's been in the shower for an hour now. Do you think we should go and see if she's alright?"

Before Piper could answer they heard the sound of the shower being switched off and footsteps leaving the bathroom.

"Finally!" Phoebe hurried from the room towards the stairs. Piper caught up with her and stopped her.

"I think we should leave her in peace for a while. She's been through a lot and she probably wants some time to herself."

"But she shouldn't be on her own! After everything she went through today, surely she'll want us there to comfort her? Besides, what if Cole comes back?"

Piper knew she was beaten, "I guess you're right. Come on then." Together they climbed the stairs and stood outside Paige's door.

Phoebe looked at Piper curiously and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Why are we stopping? What are you waiting for?"

"I just…. I don't know what to do or say." Piper's eyes shone with tears that refused to fall. Phoebe held her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She knocked softly on Paige's door. When they got no answer they pushed it open feeling anxious.

Paige was dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sweater, it wasn't a very 'Paige' outfit. Her hair was still wet and hung in red strands down her back, making a damp patch on the back of her sweater.. She had a suitcase open on her bed and was throwing all her clothes into it.

Piper looked shocked, "Paige? What are you doing?"

Paige stopped in her tracks, a pair of socks still in her hand. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying and she struggled to keep her emotions under control. "I.. I'm sorry…" She lowered her gaze to the floor, refusing to meet her sister's eyes.

Phoebe looked concerned and kept her voice low and gentle. She could see what a fragile state her sister was in, "You haven't got anything to be sorry for honey." She moved closer and tried to hug her but Paige backed away quickly looking panicked.

"Don't! Don't touch me! I'm… I'm unclean… I need to wash… "

Paige hurried towards the bedroom door but Piper stepped in front of her, closing the door and blocking her way, "Sweetie, you've already been in the shower for an hour. You don't need to go in again." She could see Paige visibly shaking as she wrapped her arms round herself and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. "Why are you packing?"

"I… I… need to leave… I'm dirty… I don't want you to be ashamed of me…" She started to cry, "Please don't hate me! I'm sorry! Please don't leave me…." She sank to the floor sobbing.

Piper instantly knelt down next to her baby sister, pulling her into her arms and holding her close. "We'll never leave you, baby girl, we love you so much."

Phoebe sat down next to Paige and let her lean against her so that Paige's head was resting on her chest. She closed her arms round her and kissed the top of her head, "We could never be ashamed of you. You mean the world to us."

Piper stroked Paige's damp hair gently trying to soothe her trembling sister, "Why did you think we'd leave you?"

"Everyone always leaves… when they find out… they hate me…. they're embarrassed by me… they leave…."

"When they find out what honey?" When Paige didn't answer Piper rubbed her back softly, "I promise you, I won't leave. Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

Phoebe looked down at Paige, "Me too. Nothing could ever make us hate you."

Paige took a deep, shuddering breath and said in a voice no louder than a whisper, "I was sexually assaulted when I was a teenager…"

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A/N: Time to write those reviews! There's only two chapters left with this story now so I'll be putting the last two up one at a time.


	13. Opening Up

A/N: Hi everyone! I've got a few things to write before the chapter starts. Skip it if you want lol.

First of all I want to apologize to anyone who took offense at chapter 11 (In his clutches) I realise now that I probably should have put a warning at the start of the chapter, however, in my defence there is a rape and child abuse warning at the start of the story.

Also, I don't mind if anyone doesn't like my story however I would appreciate it if when expressing themselves in their review they didn't use abusive language. I know that some people don't like reading about rape but as I've already said, there was a warning so if you don't like reading stories like that then don't.

To everyone else, thank you so much for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much!

This chapter will have one mention of child abuse and rape.

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Paige sat on the sofa wearing a pair of long, soft pyjamas. Piper was in the kitchen making hot chocolate and Phoebe was fetching pillows and blankets. They'd decided they'd be more comfortable in the living room.

As soon as she'd announced she'd been abused they told her to get changed and meet them downstairs where they'd be more comfortable to talk.

Paige was nervously picking her fingernails. She felt confused. She knew that it wasn't her fault that she'd been assaulted but normally when she told people about it they didn't want to know her any more. They felt awkward and didn't know how to act round her so they found it easier just to forget about her.

She glanced round the room. The place was still a mess from her fight with Cole. She wondered briefly why Piper hadn't tidied up, she was a neat freak. Paige was interrupted from her thoughts when Phoebe entered the room, her arms filled with blankets and pillows.

"I… I'm er, sorry for the mess…" Phoebe looked confused so Paige gestured to the overturned furniture and broken ornaments.

"Oh, don't worry about that, sweetie, it wasn't your fault. Me and Piper will clean it up later. At the minute we're more concerned with you." She sat down on Paige's right hand side. They'd insisted that Paige sit in the middle so that they could both be by her.

Paige shivered and pulled her blanket further round her. She leaned back into the pillows but flinched when she felt Phoebe's arm go round her. She blushed, "Sorry, I guess I'm a little jumpy." Phoebe smiled kindly at her and put her arm round her shoulders.

They both looked up as Piper came in carrying a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate on. She handed one to each of her sisters and then sat down on Paige's other side, pulling more blankets on top of them. She smiled reassuringly at Paige, "You can start whenever you're ready."

Paige took a sip of hot chocolate and then placed her cup on the table. Sinking back into the pillows she took a deep breath, "I don't really know where to begin…"

Piper held Paige's hand, "Start at the beginning."

Paige was silent for a minute, staring at nothing in particular. When she started to speak her eyes still had a far-off, glazed look, almost as if she'd forgotten her sisters were there. "I was fifteen when it happened and into the whole dating scene. I met this boy who I really liked… well, who everyone really liked. He was eighteen… I knew he was a bit old for me but when he asked me out I couldn't help saying yes. I'd liked him for so long that it seemed like a dream come true. My parents didn't approve at all but I didn't listen to them… I should have done.

Steven was into the 'bad boy' crowd. He drank, smoked, stayed out all night… a bit like me really, I think that's what was so appealing. I knew I could act like myself round him and he wouldn't mind.

Anyway, one night we went out to a party. I was having a great time but then he asked me to go outside with him. He led me down to this little woodshed at the bottom of the garden. It was a really tiny cramped place. He started kissing me but then he started getting heavy on me. I told him to back off and that I wasn't ready to go that far with him… with anyone for that matter. He got really angry. He was scaring me and I tried to get away but he pushed me back. He asked me why I dressed like a slut if I wasn't going to act like one. I remember pleading with him to let me go but he overpowered me and started removing my clothes…" Paige stopped speaking and closed her eyes trying desperately not to cry.

Piper pulled her close and let Paige lie against her, with her head resting against her chest. She pulled the blanket up so that Paige could feel more secure. "What happened next…?"

"I tried to struggle but he hit me in the face and then he… he raped me. When he was done he just left me there and went back to the party. I must have passed out because when I woke up it was quiet, the party had finished. I was still lying in that tiny woodshed. I panicked. My clothes were wrecked and my face was bleeding. I didn't know where I was for a minute and when I remembered I got really scared. I was convinced he was outside waiting for me so I stayed in there all night… that's probably why I'm so claustrophobic now.

When the morning came, I crept out and then ran all the way home. My parents had already gone out to work so I didn't go into school that day. I had a long bath and threw my clothes away. I didn't tell anyone what had happened. I just started rebelling even more than I already did. I drank even more and even took alcohol to school with me.

About two weeks later I was suspended from school because of it. I'll never forget the look of disappointment on my parents faces when they came to collect me. I decided there and then that I was going to tell them what had happened. But on the way home a truck hit our car and…." Paige started crying and Piper tightened her hold on her.

Phoebe had a look of shock and pity on her face, "That was the day your parents died?"

Paige nodded, "They died thinking I was a screw up… They never knew the truth. I'd never felt so alone before… It was a really low time for me, I started relying on alcohol even more. Social services tried to find me a new home but I couldn't handle it so I ran away. I drifted from place to place, sometimes sleeping on the streets, sometimes staying at youth hostels. That's where I met Glen. He was staying at the same hostel as me. We became really good friends… best friends. By the time I was eighteen we were sharing an apartment. He got me off the alcohol and helped me apply for a scholarship at college. After college I managed to get a job as a social worker… the rest you know…"

Piper took a deep breath, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that Paige. You should have been able to grow up with us…" Her voice broke and she struggled to hold back her tears.

Paige sat up and smiled at her sadly, "It's not your fault. You can't change the past."

Phoebe looked upset, "I feel so bad. Cole knew what had happened to you and he used it to his advantage. To scare you and to hurt you."

Paige laughed unconvincingly, "Yeah, he must really hate me, huh?" Her expression turned more serious, "He's not going to stop until I'm dead, it doesn't matter to him how much blood has to be spilt…" She stopped looking thoughtful, "Blood…."

"Paige…?" Piper looked at her, trying to work out what she was thinking.

"The vanquishing potion… What if we mixed his blood with it?"

They were all silent for a minute, thinking. Eventually, Phoebe spoke, "That could work… But we haven't got any of his blood…"

"Yes, actually, we have. When Cole came here to kidnap me, there was a bit of a struggle as you can probably tell from all the mess… Anyway, when I was running out of the attic he managed to grab me but I slammed my cast up into his jaw and blood came out of his mouth onto the floor."

Piper stood up looking hopeful, "This is good. This could work! I think we should go and do it now." Phoebe and Paige stood up as well and followed her upstairs to the attic.

Phoebe got a little of the blood and added a couple of drops to the potion. She looked over to Paige, "Are you okay?"

Page shook her head, "No, I'm terrified but let's just focus on the potion at the minute. I need to keep busy."

Piper walked over to her and hugged her , "You do know how much we love you don't you?" When Paige didn't answer, Piper continued, "We love you so, so much. I know that I wasn't the best sister when we first met and I'm truly sorry for the way I acted towards you. I want you to know though that not once did I ever stop loving you. I may not have acted like it at the time but I've always loved you and nothing will ever change that."

Paige rested her head on Piper's shoulder and smiled, "Thanks, Piper. That really means a lot to me."

"Awww, how touching…" All three spun round to face the owner of the voice.

Cole was standing by the doorway with a smirk on his face. "I'm afraid it's time to die now, Paige…"

Piper pushed Paige behind her protectively, "Phoebe! Throw the potion!" Phoebe raised her arm but Cole telekinetically threw both Piper and Phoebe across the room so that they landed on the sofa. As they got up and ran back towards them he threw out his arm and created a force field in front of them, cutting them off from Paige and himself.

Piper tried blowing up the force field with her power but nothing happened. Looking panicked she called out to Paige who was standing there looking terrified, "Paige! Orb!"

Cole laughed and walked slowly towards Paige who backed away quickly, "Did she forget to tell you? She can't orb. I hit her with a power stripping potion." He turned back to Paige who was now holding a baseball bat in front of her. He laughed, "Come on, Paige. Use your common sense. You are a powerless young woman with a piece of wood. I am an invincible demon with countless powers, you haven't got a chance really." He flung an energy ball at her but she managed to dodge it.

Phoebe called out desperately to Cole, "Please! Leave her alone! I promise I'll come back to you, we can be together again. Just don't hurt, Paige… Please… If you love me then you'll leave my sister alone!"

Cole turned to her looking surprised, "Phoebe, it's _because _I love you that I'm doing this. We can never truly be together while she's alive. She'll just ruin things for us again."

Phoebe saw Paige taking the opportunity to sneak towards the door and tried to keep him talking so as to give Paige a chance to make a run for it. "Isn't there another way? Does she really have to die?"

Cole shook his head sadly, "I'm afraid so. This is for the best."

He started to turn back and Piper shouted at him, "Why rape her? What did that even accomplish?"

He turned back to them, "She needed to be punished. What she did to me and Phoebe was unforgivable. She deserved everything she got!" He turned back to Paige but she was gone. "No!" He shimmered from the room and reappeared a few moments later holding Paige by the hair. He flung her to the ground in front of the force field that Phoebe and Piper were trapped behind.

Paige tried to get back up but he kicked her to the ground. "Say goodbye to your sisters." Paige whimpered and tried once more to get up. He kicked her again, harder this time. "Say it!"

When Paige spoke, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, "Goodbye, I love you both."

Cole ignited an energy ball in his hand…

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A/N: Ha! Sorry to end it there... Last chapter will be up either tomorrow or Thursday. Review and tell me what you think!


	14. What Happened?

A/N: Here it is! The last chapter! I know it's short but I like it, hope you will too. Enjoy!

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Piper and Phoebe exited the church holding hands. The service had been beautiful. The whole place had been decorated with white candles and lilies. Loads of people had turned up to mourn for the fallen young witch. Paige had always been convinced that she was a 'friendless loser with no life'. It broke Piper's heart to think that she'd never known just how loved she'd been.

Phoebe sat down on the steps, she couldn't face going back to the manor yet. She knew that she had to go as that was where everyone was heading for the wake but she didn't care. The whole place seemed far too quiet without Paige.

She missed her so much... She missed the sound of her laugh, the chatter of her voice, her music pulsing through the house... She even missed the constant reek of her potions.

Piper stood next to her silently. She hadn't grieved properly yet. It was like the Prue thing all over again. All she felt at the moment was anger. Anger that she knew wouldn't go away until she vanquished the person responsible for all this heartache.

With a heavy sigh, Piper sat down and put her arm round Phoebe who sobbed into her shoulder. She knew how guilty she felt over all this. She did too. What was the point in being witches if you couldn't protect the ones you loved?

Phoebe could practically feel the anger coming from Piper. She'd always been very intuitive and could often sense how others were feeling. She knew Piper would not rest until she killed that bastard. The monster who had stolen their baby sister's life.

Leo came out of the church and stood a little way away from the mourning sisters. He knew they'd be in much more danger from now on, without the power of three. He was worried about his wife. After all, when Prue had died she'd turned into a Fury. He hoped this time would be different. He approached the pair, "We should probably get going. Everyone will be waiting." Piper got to her feet and held her hand out for Phoebe.

Phoebe shook her head, "I'll meet you in the car. I just need a minute by myself." Piper nodded and then left with Leo.

Phoebe rested her head in her hands. She didn't know how to handle this. She wasn't even sure if she could. Last time had been so different. Last time there'd been Paige. Although she hadn't realised it at the time, having Paige turn up on the same day as Prue's funeral had been a good thing. It had given her something else to focus on other than the loss of her eldest sister. Now though… now, there was nothing to think about other than the fact that her little sister was dead.

Hearing the church doors open behind her, she stood up and turned round. Cole was stood watching her. "I'm sorry."

Phoebe approached him and stroked his face, "You don't need to be sorry. You tried your best. You tried to save her and that means everything to me." She embraced him and felt him kiss her softly on the cheek.

Cole sighed, "I just wish I could have done more."

"I know, baby, me too. But Paige is gone and there's nothing we can do to change that now. All we can do is try and figure out who is was who killed her and vanquish them."

"I'll do everything I can to help." Phoebe smiled sadly and started down the steps towards the car. Cole smiled to himself and walked slowly to the car. He'd won.

_The End._

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A/N: I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed and I'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who reviewed more than once (You know who you are!). Your many reviews and constant support meant a lot to me. If you've just finished reading the story then leave a review! Should I bother writing more stories or quit while I'm ahead? Let me know! Love you all! (Hugs!)


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